I love that International Yoga Day and the Summer Solstice are the same day in the calendar. What better time to practise your sun salutations? These were traditionally practised at sunrise as a greeting to the sun. Which makes perfect sense as that’s when the day is cooler. But maybe isn’t so easy when the sun rises around 4am on the 21st June as it does in the UK. The history of the Sun Salutation (or Surya Namaskara in the... Read more
I’m always surprised by how fast the summer solstice comes around. No sooner have I started packing my big coats away, suddenly the longest day is here. You won’t see me at Stonehenge this year (or any year), getting up early and crowds are two of my least favourite things. But here are some ideas for working with the summer solstice from home. Have a rest The longest day is the perfect time for putting your feet up and taking... Read more
When you combine ancestor work with psychology it becomes beautifully multifaceted. Exploring the role of the scapegoat within your ancestry can be powerful and transformative. What is a scapegoat? Often (but not necessarily) found within a group setting, the scapegoat is passed the blame for everything that’s gone wrong. They’re handed the responsibility and guilt for all problems, sometimes even when it takes a little story shifting to achieve. You might have heard of scapegoating in association with narcissism, and... Read more
Ancestor work is a two-way process. As spiritual beings, we search for answers from energies outside of ourselves, whilst the ancestors have a special interest in us fulfilling our life’s purpose. Perhaps over and above that of deities, elementals, or fae we may invoke as neo-pagans. Their energy lives in us. We’re often continuing what they started, even if it’s just seeing the energy they created still moving forwards. The ancestors also rely on us to keep them alive through... Read more
Whether you call it ‘Twixtmas’, ‘the perineum between Christmas and New Year’, ‘midwinter break’ or just simply ‘cheese-fest’, this time of year is great for making plans. It’s not cheese-fest for me, however, because last (whatever you want to call it) I made the decision to give up dairy for good due to an intolerance which was edging me ever closer to a stomach ulcer. Knowing something isn’t good for you, isn’t the same as actively giving it up. That... Read more
Queen Elizabeth died yesterday. It’s not over dramatic to say that a great ancestor has been created this very week. But how do we recognise the glory of our Queen whilst acknowledging the harm the British empire, with its figurehead of the ‘silent’ monarchy has done to many over the centuries? In one of those strange coincidences of life, I’ve spent this month studying Transgenerational Trauma and inherited legacies of pain. What happened to our ancestors, both genetic and cultural,... Read more
The last time I taught an intensive seidr course was in 2014. I found a community centre in North London and offered a limited number of spaces (I think it was ten). Apologising for the small number available, I made the promise of another opportunity soon for those who missed out. Eight years and a pandemic later and I’m finally making good on that promise! The addition of Zoom to the internet has really helped my ability to do this.... Read more
I’m a hypnotherapist. It’s very much like being a witch, except I have a fully accredited diploma and get to be registered with lots of membership associations. I’m also advised not to fill the practise room with incense. But it is like being a witch because I help people use their minds to meet their goals. This involves holding space, writing scripts, using my listening skills to understand what my clients need, and my intuition to ensure I facilitate their... Read more
What is Unconditional Body Acceptance and why is it so liberating? Unconditional body acceptance for many people is moving away from a lifetime of social conditioning. It turns its head on the subconscious beliefs we might have held for the entirety of our lives in terms of what ‘good’ bodies ‘should’ look and behave like. And it feels awesome. But unconditional body acceptance is not loving your body anyway, despite thinking it’s imperfect. It isn’t setting out to change your... Read more
My career was always something that just was, it was never really a part of my identity and in many ways I often didn’t really think too much about why I chose that path. But the lockdowns over the last few years forced me to really look at it for the first time ever, and ask “is this really a life which I can thrive within?” It’s not as though I’d stayed in the same job for a decade, I... Read more
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